


Urzai Week 2020

by ineffablebureaucracy



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Urzai Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27188291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineffablebureaucracy/pseuds/ineffablebureaucracy
Summary: A collection of oneshots published for Urzai Week 2020!
Relationships: Ozai/Ursa (Avatar), Urzai (Avatar)
Comments: 55
Kudos: 33





	1. Come Home With Me (Day 1- Spirit/Spirited)

**Author's Note:**

> Word Count: 1,274 words
> 
> Description: Ozai's life comes to an end, and he's greeted by a familiar face.

**Come Home With Me.**

Nobody had expected Ozai to last for long once he was in prison. Surprisingly, he had lasted for quite a long while- long enough that one day he had been brought news of the passing of his wife. He had taken the news quietly, given a nod, and then been left alone. There was no external sign of his grief at her passing, but Ozai had never been one to show those sorts of emotions to anyone- anyone but _her_ , that was, and if she was dead… what was the point of showing such emotion? It wasn’t like there was anyone he would allow himself to show it to.

So Ozai kept it all in his chest, and it burned, and it ached, for quite some time. But within the next few years, the man fell ill. Doctors were, of course, brought in to try and heal him, but it seemed nothing they did helped much. As it was, he had just grown… old. He began to get that knowing that his days were soon to come to an end. And one day, that final day came.

It wasn’t a particularly notable day, except that it was the day the guard came to bring Ozai his evening meal, and found him collapsed in his cell. The doctors were called once again, and it was decreed shortly thereafter:

Fire Lord Ozai was dead.

His death hadn’t come in the way he’d expected, alone and cold in his cell. Instead, it had begun in a way he’d never imagined it beginning… It began with Ursa.

Ozai had been sitting in his cell, his head leaned back against the wall, when he heard her voice.

“ _Ozai._ ”

His head lifted, his brows creased. Her voice sounded different than it used to, he thought. Just as young, but more… ethereal? He shouldn’t have been surprised, he figured, seeing as he was likely only imagining her. How often had he done that? Sat and imagined she could come to him? But this wasn’t like the typical voice he imagined. That voice was always the one he’d last heard, before she disappeared _so many_ years ago. It was never so echoing, and so otherworldly, as it was just then. When he heard her voice again, it was the same.

“ _Ozai._ ”

“Ursa?”

Also quite unlike his typical imaginings, she just… _materialized_ in front of him. She typically came in through the cell door, as if she were real.

When he spoke her name, she smiled at him, and came to kneel at his side. “ _You must be tired_ ,” she said, and lifted a hand to brush his now whitened hair from his face. This time, instead of imagining how it would _actually_ feel to have her touching him once again, it almost felt as though a wind had blown through his hair. What was this…?

He nodded a little, and replied, “Yes. Bored, too.” Her laugh was just as ethereal as her voice, and her smile seemed lighter and somehow more beautiful than he remembered. Age hadn’t muddled his mind so much, had it?

“ _You should come home,_ ” she told him. He scoffed and shook his head.

"I can’t,” he answered. “I’m to spend the rest of my days here.” Ozai looked up at her, wondering what her answer to that might be.

" _I know._ ”

Well, that had certainly surprised him. Ozai watched Ursa with a confused look on his face, tilting his head slightly. “You know?” he asked. “Then how do you mean I should come home, if you know I can’t?”

“ _Because it’s time._ ”

Ozai tried to sit up, but her hand on his shoulder kept him from doing so. He suddenly felt as if he couldn’t move, except to lift a hand to her face. “Ursa, what do you mean?” he questioned. He pushed a hand through her hair, and though he saw it move, it felt more like he pushed his hand through spider webs.

The seemingly ethereal being didn’t respond verbally, but put her hand on his chest. It felt as if something was tugging within his body then, almost trying to break free. It started at his heart, right under her hand, and it felt almost like something broke free from there. The feeling spread to his stomach and head- two places in his head, actually- and as he thought about it, he felt it in seven specific places in his body: his chakras.

What was trying to pull away from those places? Why did he feel almost as if he was detaching from his body?

…Why did Ursa suddenly seem so much more real?

Ozai sat up then, and when he reached out to touch her face, she felt _solid_ , even more so than he’d imagined before. Her hair was soft, the way he’d remembered it. Now, when she in turn touched his face, it felt like her hands, not like wind.

He was vaguely aware of a guard coming with his meal, but he didn’t care, not with her _really_ before him again.

The tray was dropped, and he was fairly certain there was some kind of commotion happening. But it felt so far away. Everything felt far away- everything but her. “What is this?” he asked her. “What are you doing?” His voice almost became a bit suspicious, but it wasn’t of her. He was suspicious of himself, suspicious that he had somehow fallen asleep in his boredom and fabricated a dream of her.

“I’m taking you home, Ozai,” she said.

Her voice sounded real now, as well, and when she ran her hand through his hair, let it fall through her fingers, he looked at it and saw it was… black. His hair was black? Hadn’t it been white a moment before?

Ursa stood then, and she took his hands, helping him to stand with her.

“I don’t need help standing up,” he said. She chuckled a little bit.

“Of course not,” she said. “But it’s been a while. I wanted to be sure.”

More commotion around them, as doctors arrived. It was only then that he looked to the side, and saw the cell door opening. His eyes widened, and it seemed he was prepared to protect her from the guards who stepped inside, his hands going to her upper arms as he pulled her closer to him.

“There’s no need for this,” Ursa assured him. “They can’t see me. They can’t see you.”

Ozai looked at her with more confusion than he had yet. “Stop speaking in riddles,” he said. “How do you mean they can’t see me?”

“Well… they can,” Ursa confessed. “But not the way you are. Look.” She turned him slowly, and gestured to the ground. When Ozai turned and looked, it felt as though his breath caught in his throat, though he now saw that would be impossible.

“I’m dead.”

There was nothing more to it than that, he said nothing more than that. Ursa nodded, and slipped her hand into his. He held it tightly, and gave a small nod of his own.

“Very well,” he said, and took a deep breath he no longer needed to take. “What comes next?”

Ursa didn’t answer just yet, just led him to the cell door, and out it. He followed her along the halls of the prison, letting her lead him out of the hell he’d lived in for so many years. Finally, they got to the door, and she turned back to him. “You come home with me.” Ozai smiled, and when Ursa opened the door…

It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.


	2. Empress (Day 2- Theatre)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 1572
> 
> Description: Iroh drags Ozai to see a play, and Ozai ends up glad he agreed.

**Empress**

Ozai could never understand _why_ his brother loved these sorts of things so much. Plays and performances had no benefit, in his mind, so why would Iroh drag him to one on Ember Island. Well… really, why would he drag him to Ember Island in the first place?

The truth was, Iroh had hoped to find some final shred of humanity in his brother. Theatre, and the arts in general, he had found were an excellent reflection of life, and an excellent way to make even the most hardened men reconsider things. He just hoped Ozai wouldn’t be _too_ hardened for this to be the case for him.

The younger Prince seemed incredibly bored by the performance, watching with a blank expression. Plays about dragons and love held no interest for him- perhaps if it had been about war, he could have gleaned some lesson from it, but as it was, he felt there was nothing of use to him.

That was, until he saw the female lead of the play. Yes, he’d heard her voice under the mask as she played the Dragon Empress, but without the mask now so she could portray a falsely mortal woman…

Ozai sat up in his seat a bit, making Iroh glance over at him. What was it that had gotten Ozai’s attention about the play so suddenly? When he saw the interested look in his face as he watched the leading actress, though, he realized it wasn’t a _what_ , so much as it was a _who_. He was interested in the young woman playing the Dragon Empress.

Well, Iroh noticed, she _was_ beautiful… It seemed his brother had noticed the same. Perhaps this would cause his brother to pay closer attention the play, and he might learn from it.

“She is a beauty, isn’t she?” he commented to Ozai. But his brother waved the comment off, hanging suddenly on her every word.

Ozai was of the mind that every other actor in this play was _offensively_ subpar, all except for her. She spoke each word in every line with passion, and her expressions reflected perfectly everything her character must have been feeling. Truly, she was a very talented actress.

The entire length of the performance, Ozai seemed to be enraptured with her, paying close attention to the entirety of each scene she was in. When she wasn’t in a scene, he paid no attention to lines that had nothing to do with the role she played. The final scene saw her wearing the mask of the Dragon Empress once more, and Ozai frowned. He didn’t like that her face had been obscured.

Fortunately, she again removed her mask to take her bow after the finale, and once the play had ended, he went to find the backstage. Iroh didn’t even have to ask what he had in mind to know- he had gone to find the Dragon Empress.

He found her in her dressing room, taking her hair out of the elaborate style she’d worn it in for the production- seeing as she was portraying royalty- and he leaned against the doorway, watching the beautiful young woman.

“An excellent performance,” he said, and she started, turning quickly to look at him. As soon as she recognized the Fire Lord’s second son, she stood and bowed at the waist, her fist pressed respectfully to her palm.

“My Prince,” she said. “I didn’t know you were in attendance. It’s an honor that you would come to see our play.”

Ozai chuckled a bit, smirking as he watched how she bowed so quickly. “Rise,” he commanded, and she did as he said immediately. “What is your name, Dragon Empress?”

The actress couldn’t help but smile at the way he had addressed her. “Ursa, my Prince,” she answered. He hummed as he committed the name to memory, even going so far as to repeat it.

“Ursa,” he mused. “A beautiful name. Might I ask where it’s from?” Or, in other words, where _she_ was from.

“Of course,” she replied. “It’s from Hira’a, as am I.”

Ozai nodded, taking the information in. So, an actress from Hira’a, was she? No, not just an actress. _Ursa_ of Hira’a. Well… perhaps he should get to know the actress a bit better.

“I wonder,” he began, “if you might be so inclined to join me for a meal? You must be hungry after such a long performance.”

Ursa’s eyes shot wide open in shock. She’d not expected such an invitation from the Prince of the Fire Nation- well, _a_ prince, for that matter, but still a prince!- but who was she to decline? Not that she felt inclined to do so in the first place. She’d heard that Fire Prince Ozai was a handsome man, but standing in front of her, she found none of the portraits she had seen had done him justice.

“It would be my honor,” she replied, and his smirk widened a bit, though with more of a genuinely pleased look in his eye. He was glad she would join him.

“Then please, finish here, and I’ll meet you at the front of the theatre,” he offered. Ursa quickly agreed to these conditions, and he left her to finish changing into her normal apparel.

Out front, he found his brother Iroh, and ended up rejoining him as he waited.

“I see you must have gone to find that actress,” his brother mused, and Ozai barely gave a grunt to confirm Iroh’s suspicions. “Did you find anything about her?”

“Her name is Ursa,” was all Ozai answered. He didn’t feel much like giving Iroh much information about her at all. As Iroh was already wed, he had decided that _he_ wanted to pursue this woman. After all, his brother was ‘off the market’, so to speak. Why should he be so interested in her, anyway?

“And I imagine you’re waiting on her now?” Iroh prompted. Ozai shot his brother a glare from the corner of his eye.

“What’s it to you if I am?” he questioned sharply.

“Oh, nothing, nothing…” Iroh answered vaguely. “In fact, I rather hope you are. It will be good for you to get out with someone around your own age, my brother.” Ozai’s eyes narrowed more as Iroh spoke. “And a beautiful lady at that? Perhaps you should try and learn her lineage- you know Father has been pushing for-”

“I know what Father has been pushing for,” Ozai snapped. “And that business is between myself and Father alone. I’ll wait here for Ursa.” It was a dismissal, regardless of the fact Ozai was far younger than Iroh.

"As you will,” Iroh said. He walked away then, paying little attention to the woman now approaching Ozai, who hadn’t paid much attention to his departure, either.

**…**

"So, he did _what_?”

Ozai found himself chuckling at the story Ursa recounted as they walked, the sheer sound of it absolutely absurd to him. If not for hoping not to offend her, he might have accused her of telling a lie. But she laughed, and the thought of the story being possibly untrue left him immediately. He could pretend it was true, if only to hear her laugh once more.

“He was in the middle of drinking tea when my mother gave him the news, and she says he choked on it and ended up spitting the drink all over a visiting nobleman,” she said again, and Ozai gave an amused shake of his head.

“Why hadn’t he heard yet your mother was expecting you?” he questioned. “It seems to me that would be a conversation _not_ to have with a visiting noble?”

Ursa nodded and chuckled. “Apparently, the nobleman had inquired about any expected children, and my father had expected her to say no. Her answering yes was what caused such a shock- she’d intended to tell him after the nobleman left, so he’d no longer be focused on that visit.”

“Worked out well for her,” Ozai replied sarcastically, and the actress at his right giggled.

“Very well, hm?” she quipped in response.

They came soon to a small house, somewhat removed from the others, and Ozai glanced about as he saw Ursa starting to approach the door. “I’m afraid this is me,” she told him, and he hummed thoughtfully. “Thank you for dinner again, my-” She paused to clear her throat. “Ozai.”

“You’re very welcome, Ursa,” he said, and walked to the door at her side. “I’ll be on Ember Island the rest of the summer.” She watched him for a moment, trying to ascertain the meaning of his words. “I’m going to come at the end of the week and take you for another meal.” She lit up, and nodded enthusiastically.

“I look forward to it,” she said with a happy grin.

Ozai smirked that pleased smirk of his once more, and nodded. “Good,” he said. “Then until then, my lady.” If Ursa felt her heart skip a beat when he addressed her as such, she felt it stop when he lifted her chin with his fingers, and bent down to press a small kiss to her lips. He said nothing more as he turned to go, and she watched him walk all the way down the road until he disappeared from sight, before turning back to open her door and step inside her little house.

Oh, no one was going to believe this.


	3. A World Worth Dreaming About (Day 3- Prison)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 1916
> 
> Description: Ursa returns to the Fire Nation after the war, and goes to see her husband in prison, unable to believe he hadn't been killed.

**A World Worth Dreaming About**

Somehow, Ursa hadn’t ever pictured the Fire Nation army showing up at her front door. Well, it wasn’t quite the Fire Nation _army_ , but there were a few soldiers there, just as intimidating as she’d always remembered them. There had been some in Hira’a since there was a war on, for the protection of the citizens within it- and to control them, Ursa suspected- but she hadn’t ever thought they’d show up at _her_ door. Not unless…

No, why would her husband be sending for her? He’d sent her _away_ seven years ago. Why should he suddenly be asking her to return?

To her surprise, they came with news that the war was over, and it wasn’t her husband asking her to come home, but her _son_. Zuko had ascended to the throne of the Fire Nation, become Fire Lord. Hearing he wanted her home made her heart swell with joy, and of course, she went.

Her son had quickly brought her up to date, as not very much news of the war had reached Hira’a, other than it hadn’t ended yet, or who was winning. This news was also very frequently filtered through what they were _supposed_ to hear, and so usually entailed that it hadn’t ended, and the Fire Nation had been winning.

Hearing the truth from Zuko had been quite a lot, but what really stunned her was hearing the fate of her husband. Ozai hadn’t been killed by the Avatar, as many had suspected he’d be, but instead had had his bending taken, and been put in prison.

The prison ended up being the first place she went after she bid her son goodnight.

Ursa was let inside by the guards, once they had recognized who she was, and taken to the cell her husband had been put in. It almost seemed he was sleeping, for a moment, as she watched him. His head was laid back against the wall, his eyes closed. But he tilted his head toward her just a touch as he heard her footsteps approach. The gruffness of his voice surprised her when he finally spoke.

“What?”

Her eyes widened a bit at how different he sounded from the way he did when he was younger. She remembered his voice being smooth and sharp, somehow all at once, and though it was still deep, it somehow seemed harder, and rougher. The years had changed him quite a bit.

“I had to come when I heard you were here,” she said softly.

Ozai’s eyes opened and he turned his head toward her, a confused expression on his face. He started to chuckle bitterly, and shook his head. “I didn’t think I’d crack this quick,” he replied, and Ursa frowned slightly.

“You didn’t think you’d crack?” she repeated. “Why do you think you have?”

“Why else would you be here?” he questioned, sitting up a bit as he watched her. “I’ve heard of men losing their minds down here, but I really didn’t think…”

"You haven’t lost your mind,” Ursa interrupted. “I thought I had when Zuko told me you weren’t _dead_ at the end of all this.”

Ozai chuckled a little again. “Almost sounds like you wanted me to,” he said, and Ursa sighed.

“Of course not,” she said. “I may have disagreed with you on a lot, but I wouldn’t have wanted you dead. Why do you think I had to come see you?”

It was then that Ozai finally stood up and walked to the bars separating him from Ursa. “So… You’re really here, then?” he questioned, keeping a wary eye on her.

Ursa smiled a bit at Ozai, and put her hand on the bar. “I’m really here,” she told him. Ozai reached up and touched the back of her hand, as if confirming for himself that she _was_ real, and was really there. Seemingly satisfied, he let his hand fall back to his side, before he folded them behind his back.

“Good to know.”

That first visit didn’t last overly long, late as it was, but Ursa still returned, once each week. Every time she visited, Ozai felt a little less like he might go mad in that place, and he certainly felt a little more like he would make it- whatever that meant.

Eventually, Ursa began to bring him little things. Usually some form of better food than was provided to him in the prison, something he would never thank her for- it wasn’t in his style- but for which she could tell he was grateful. He considered her presence and gifts a small mercy, and truly, his days in prison did seem to change him greatly. His wife kept his mind sane, and she brought him news of the world outside.

The news surprised him, that the Fire Nation was healing, that the rest of the world was as well. But his wife seemed happy with the news, and the progression of things, and having known her past feelings on those sorts of things, he supposed things couldn’t be _so_ bad, even if the war had been lost.

Ozai had nothing _really_ to focus on aside from Ursa, and so they soon found a strange kind of reconciliation. This brought him some happiness in that little, cramped cell, but after some time… The novelty began to wear off. The thoughts he’d been starting to have at the beginning of his imprisonment began to creep back in, and even looking forward to Ursa’s visits weren’t quite enough to pull him away from those thoughts any longer.

So, the next time Ursa came to him, she noticed immediately that something was wrong. There was a general air of bleakness surrounding him that she hadn’t noticed before- not since the first time she came to see him- and he looked far more miserable than he’d been that day. Immediately, she frowned, and sat the basket down that was full of food for them to share. “Ozai?” she called softly. “What’s wrong?” She knelt at the bars as if she could get closer to him, kneel at his side, but she knew that would be impossible.

Ozai remained silent for a few moments, before finally grumbling out, “I’m useless.”

The words certainly shocked Ursa, and so she sat down, watching him as she tried to understand what he may have meant by that. “Useless?” she repeated. “How so?”

“I’m locked in a cell I can’t get out of, will _never_ get out of until I’m dead, and even if I was… what could I do, Ursa? I can’t bend anymore. I’m useless in here, and I’d be useless out there, too.”

Ursa sighed softly, somehow knowing exactly where this was coming from. Glancing back at the door, she listened closely for a few minutes. No one was watching, or listening, and so she quickly pulled a couple of pins out of her hair. Ozai watched her with a confused expression as she moved to the lock on his cell, starting to mess with it. It hit him what she was doing right as the lock clicked, and fell open so the door to his cell would open too. He sat up a little then, his jaw dropping. Once it was unlocked, she picked up the basket and walked inside, sitting beside him and offering it to him.

Even though he wasn’t hungry, Ozai took the basket, still stunned at what he’d seen his wife do. It unnerved him to think of how easy that had been. But, she had started to speak, and it pulled him away from what she’d just done.

“I imagine your father has you thinking that way, doesn’t he?” she questioned.

“My father?” Ozai asked. “He’s been dead for seven years now.”

“Maybe so,” Ursa agreed. “But he still instilled that in you, didn’t he?”

Ozai sighed, frowning at her as if he didn’t understand what she meant. He did, of course, but it wasn’t something he wanted to think about. He didn’t like being reminded of how easily his father used to manipulate him.

When he didn’t answer, she sighed, and took his hand. “Ozai, you are worth more than your bending. Even in this cell… you’re more than what you’re capable of. You always have been. Do you think I married you for your bending prowess? Your power? Your involvement in battles I wasn’t allowed to involve myself with?”

“You married me because our fathers decided you would,” Ozai huffed. “I didn’t even get to try-”

“We grew up together, Ozai,” she pointed out. “If I hadn’t wanted to marry you, do you really think I would have?”

He looked up at her curiously. Somehow, despite all the confidence he’d had in his intellect, and his strategy, and his ability to gain power at a rapid rate… he hadn’t ever been so confident in just _himself_ , in the Ozai that existed beneath all the things his father valued so greatly. Ursa knew what he was thinking about her last question, but didn’t respond to it. Instead, she pressed on.

“If we weren’t in this cell- say you were suddenly let out on good behavior…” She was interrupted by his scoff of disbelief. “Or for some other reason,” she allowed. “What do you think we’d be doing right now?” Ozai smirked at her, and she smacked his arm playfully. “ _Aside_ from that.” He chuckled, glad she’d gotten his point, but then sighed.

“Honestly? Who knows? Trying to survive somewhere where they wouldn’t know who we were, probably,” he allowed himself to muse. She smiled and took his hand.

“So we’d be making a life somewhere,” she surmised. “Maybe we’d have a little house, with some food we could grow ourselves- what we didn’t grow we could get from a nearby market, perhaps.” Ozai hummed a little as he pictured that. “And, if you must feel _useful_ , then consider that you’d be helping keep us fed, which is certainly a good use, wouldn’t you say?”

Ozai gave a small nod of agreement. “I guess that’s _one_ thing that would make me useful,” he said.

“And even then, do you know that not being useful doesn’t take away your worth?” He grunted in response. It wasn’t really a yes or a no. Ursa huffed. “Well, _I_ think you have worth. And I think you have many uses aside from anything that could be done outside this cell.”

“Care to name one?” he asked.

Ursa smirked. She was very glad he had asked. “You make me happy,” she answered him.

“I don’t understand why,” he grunted. “I banished you, and the whole thing I banished you _for_ amounted to nothing. Now I’m rotting away in prison. You’re finally back and we can’t be together properly.”

“Maybe not,” she conceded. “But that doesn’t change whether or not I’m glad to be with you even like this. Do I wish things were different? Sure. But this will do just fine for me, if it’s what we have.”

“And keep thinking about that little house you talked about?” he asked her.

“And keep thinking about that little house,” she confirmed, and chuckled. “We won’t have that in this life, I’m afraid, but… maybe in the next one.” He hummed and gave an agreeing nod.

“That sounds good,” he said. Ozai laid his head on Ursa’s shoulder, and she turned to kiss the top of his head.

"At the very least,” she replied. “It’s a world worth dreaming about.”


	4. Nightmare (Day 4- Flames)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 2370
> 
> Description: Azulon fails to take Ursa's poison, and Ozai must make a decision that alters the fate of the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the day I had the hardest time coming up with what to write, and I'll admit, I procrastinated starting it until about 3:00 this morning. It's now almost 5 am, and it ended up being one of the few pieces I feel truly proud of. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and who knows? I may flesh this out into a full AU. Stay tuned!

**Nightmare**

Nothing had gone right. Azulon should be dead by now. The poison should have kicked in. Why had he sent for her? Ursa’s hands shook at her sides as she walked to his throne room. Was it too much to hope that her husband would be the one sending for her from the throne, that Azulon _would_ be dead, and Ozai the new Fire Lord?

She learned it was when she walked in, and saw her father-in-law sitting in his common place on the throne. _Agni…_

“I heard an interesting rumor this evening, Princess Ursa,” he said, leaning forward to rest his arms against his knees. She wanted to cringe, but instead, stayed strong. She’d done what she had to, even if it hadn’t worked. Even if she hadn’t succeeded.

“What rumor?” she asked. They both knew. Why bother showing him the proper respect?

“A treasonous plot.”

Her heart began to pound. So, it was true. How he knew, she couldn’t guess, but what did it matter, really? All that mattered was he _knew_. Her eyes hardened.

“Someone had to do something,” she said. “I know things, too. Treasonous plots from _you_. Or aren’t you aware acting against _any_ member of the Royal Family is a crime punishable by death?”

Azulon’s temper flared and he stood sharply, the flames around him growing with his anger. “Insolent child!” he roared. The Princess didn’t flinch, even in the face of the Fire Lord’s fury. Her own righteous rage had long rendered her immune to his outbursts. “How _dare_ you suggest-?”

“Suggest that it was wrong for you to order the death of your grandson at my husband’s hand?!” she snapped, before he could even finish his question. “It was wrong, and I would die myself before I stood by and let that happen. If _your_ death would save him, then I would kill you _a thousand_ times.”

He was stunned by her harsh demeanor and tone, the tongue which usually spoke such sweet words to her family having become a dagger in her mouth. This was a woman scorned, and he doubted she was going to back down now that she’d been worked up.

“I see there is no remorse in you,” he said, his voice cold. “Very well.” He looked to the guards in the room, and gave his command. “Arrest this woman.”

**…**

When Ozai first heard the news, it was the first time he’d ever felt his blood run cold. His wife was to be executed, by his _father’s hand_ , for the plot he had helped her concoct. Someone had overheard, that had to have been it. Someone had overheard and told Azulon.

Whatever the case, it had taken Ozai all of about two seconds to decide there was _no way_ he was letting his father take Ursa from him. He stopped his training and stormed out of the gym, walking in such a way that the servants between him and where his wife would be executed immediately bolted, letting him through with ease. The Prince was _bristling_ , more angry than he may have been in quite a long time- if not angrier than he’d _ever_ been.

On his way there, he saw his son, and groaned internally. Of all times…

“Father?” the boy asked. He had to keep his son away for the time being, at least.

Without stopping, letting the boy instead fall into step with him, he said, “Find your sister. Take her back to your room and do _not_ leave there or let her leave there until someone comes to get you. You are both to stay put. Am I understood?”

Something in Ozai’s voice shook Zuko up, and while normally he might have asked after the reason behind such a strange request- no, strange _order_ \- he thought better of it. He immediately agreed to do so, and ran off to find Azula. _Good_ , Ozai thought. _That’ll keep them away from this._

It wasn’t long after that interaction with Zuko that he found where the execution would take place- on the main steps of the palace, in front of a large crowd that had gathered. After all, it wasn’t every day the Princess was convicted of treason and condemned to death. The blood rushing in Ozai’s ears blocked out Azulon’s words, but that didn’t change the fact that he could tell what was coming. The Fire Lord had lifted his hand, coated it in orange fire, and all Ozai could see was _red_.

The crowd gasped as they saw their Prince jumping between his wife and father, knocking Azulon’s hand up and off course so the flame shot into the sky, instead of raining down on the Princess. Ursa’s eyes widened as she looked up and saw her husband, saving her from his father. It was when they really began to fight that she jumped up and _slammed_ herself into the guard behind her as hard as she could, taking him down so he’d be no help to the Fire Lord. He groaned as his head hit the hard ground beneath him, and the crowd scattered.

It seemed that Ozai must have heard the commotion, because he whipped around in time to see his wife struggling against the cuffs that held her hands together. “Ursa!” he shouted, and her eyes snapped up. As if they were of one mind, she lifted her hands into the air, pulled as far apart as she could pull them with the cuffs still there, and Ozai shot a powerful fire fist at the cuffs. The metal was heated to the point of pliancy from his attack, and he followed through with a powerful kick, breaking them apart with his heel.

As soon as she was freed, she jumped up, and heard him call after her, “The children! Go!”

She had no clue where they might have been, but she figured checking their rooms might have been a good start, and so she immediately ran into the palace as the battle between Prince and Fire Lord raged on outside.

It was Azula’s room she came to first, and her heart pounded when she saw there was no one inside. In fact, it seemed as though the room hadn’t been touched since the girl had left it that morning. Ursa’s eyes widened as fear began to course through her, and she darted to Zuko’s room as fast as she could. There, she found both her children. They were standing at the window, looking outside as if trying to figure out what the stacks of fire meant.

Ursa breathed a sigh of relief when she saw them, and they turned to her. “Mom, what’s-?” Zuko began to ask, but his mother interrupted him by kneeling in front of himself and his sister and grabbing them both in a tight hug, her eyes closing as tears streamed down her cheeks. She hadn’t thought she’d see either of them again.

“What’s wrong?” Azula questioned, a hesitancy in her voice that was uncommon for the little Princess.

“We have to go, now,” Ursa replied urgently. As soon as the words left her lips, she stood and took both her children by the hand, pulling them out of the room and starting toward the stables where the ostrich-horses and carriages were kept. But the flames weren’t stopping, and as Ursa watched them, it seemed as if they’d never stop. If she could tell the difference between Azulon’s and Ozai’s fire, perhaps she’d have taken the children and gone, but as it was… she couldn’t leave her husband without knowing if he would survive.

She put Zuko and Azula in a carriage once they were in the stables, and climbed up into it with them both for a moment. Kneeling in front of where they sat on the seat, she took one of their hands in each of hers, and looked at them both seriously. “I don’t want to scare you, but we’re all in a lot of danger right now,” she told them, deciding to be honest with them. It wouldn’t do them any good to protect them from the knowledge of the situation, not when they needed to know the urgency of the situation at hand. “Stay here. Protect each other. I’m going to get your father and we’re going to go. But you two have to stay safe and hidden, and if you’re found…”

Ursa took a deep breath, before instructing, “Do whatever you must to not be taken. That _cannot_ happen to either of you. Is that clear?”

“Mom, what’s happening?” Zuko asked with a shaky voice.

She smiled sadly at him and lifted her hand to cup his cheek lovingly. “I’ll explain everything to you soon, my little turtleduck. But for now, I need you to look after your sister, can you do that?” He nodded a little, but Azula protested.

“I don’t need to be protected,” she tried to say, and Ursa chuckled.

“You need to look after your brother, too,” she said. “Look after each other. It’ll be the safest for you both.” With that, she stood as best she could in the carriage, pressed a quick kiss to both their foreheads, and climbed out, shutting the door behind herself. Azula dragged her brother to the floor off the seats, insisting it would be better to hide there. They’d have been caught if someone walked by and glanced through the window, and they were still sitting in the seat.

Ursa rushed back to where the battle between her husband and the Fire Lord was raging still, and when she stepped out of the palace, the sight in front of her made her freeze. How had an old man like Azulon overpowered Ozai, so far as to even put him on his knees?

“You’re a disgrace to the Fire Nation, and to your family,” Azulon hissed out. “No wonder your wife was so quick to try and poison me. Perhaps her husband had filled her mind with treasonous thoughts?”

Ozai bared his teeth as he tried to push Azulon off him, but his father’s hands heated up to the point that he couldn’t make himself push against them any longer. Ursa soon came back to herself, and she began looking around for anything she could use as a weapon against Azulon.

"I know where I went wrong with you,” Azulon was saying. Ursa found a rod attached to… something, but it didn’t matter. She pulled it away with the sort of strength humans could only find under such duress. “I never taught you proper _respect_.” Once it was free, she turned toward Azulon, and carried the thing with her like a club. “Well, it’s time you _learned_ respect, Ozai. And _suffering will be your teacher_.”

By now, Ursa had crept up on Azulon, and Ozai had managed to keep from showing he’d seen her approaching. But he smirked as he saw her lift the club. Her words made him even prouder.

“No,” she said, her voice ringing out like the steel in her hands. Azulon turned to look at her, in shock, and angered at, her continual defiance. “It’s going to be yours.”

A loud _crack!_ echoed through the now desolated space, and Azulon fell to the ground at her feet, his head tilted back at an awkward angle, blood already oozing out of the cut opened by Ursa’s swing. She dropped the rod immediately and hit her knees, checking over Ozai anxiously.

"Are you hurt?” she asked him, and he shook his head, standing and lifting her with him.

“I’m alright,” he answered. “Where are the children? I don’t think there’s any way we’re getting away with this one.”

Ursa nodded her agreement. “They’re at the stables, I hid them in a carriage until we could get them and get away,” she told him. Ozai grabbed Ursa’s hand with a firm, unrelenting grip, and strode quickly to the stables.

The closer they got, they suddenly realized they could hear screaming, the sounds of an angry Zuko and a fierce Azula. A quick look shared between the couple revealed they both knew what it meant- their children had been found.

Breaking out into a run, Ursa struggled to keep up with her taller husband, whose legs covered more ground than hers with each step, but that was alright. There was likely to be more he could do for them, anyway.

But, any help was unnecessary, as they heard an absolutely _enraged_ , almost feral shriek come from Azula, who was yelling, “ _Get your hands OFF of him!_ ” Just as Ursa and Ozai rounded the corner, the Prince saw the fruition ocf all the work he’d been doing with his daughter for the first time. Blue fire poured out of her hand as she attacked the guard who was picking up Zuko, and he screamed in agony. The guard dropped her brother immediately, his hands covering his face as he fell to the ground and writhed in pain. She immediately whipped around to face the guard who was now coming at her, and- in unison with Ozai- prepared an attack of lightning. The electricity crackled in the room as it was all drawn to their hands, and the man was filled with the cold-blooded fire before he, too, fell at the hands of the Fire Nation’s royals.

Ursa and Ozai went to their son and daughter respectively, then, checking them both over for injuries as quickly as they could, and asking if they were alright. With more time, they might have checked a little more thoroughly, taken a touch more time with it, but they _had_ no more time, and so they each took an ostrich-horse, not even bothering to do more than put bridles in their beaks, and they climbed up with their children in hand.

The four of them disappeared that day, and with the death of Fire Lord Azulon, the Fire Nation descended into chaos. But, the nightmare had been survived, and the family who _had_ been royalty left the war to those who remained. They’d all had their fill of war that day, war of a more intimate sort, but it had been more than enough for a lifetime.


	5. Learn to be Lonely (Day 5- Anniversary)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 1334
> 
> Description: Ozai and Ursa each have a dream, and wake on the anniversary of her banishment.

**Learn to be Lonely**

Ozai was… surprised, to say the least. Every day, his wife’s banishment had seemed to get easier. Of course, he had felt the ache of her loss the worst the day she left, and every day since, the ache had lessened. He felt confident that things would one day return to some sense of normalcy, even in the absence of Ursa.

All his confidence vanished the day he realized it had been a year, exactly, since she had gone. He’d busied himself so greatly with his work as Fire Lord, thrown himself into it, really, and no one noticed his upset.

However, when that day came that Ursa had been gone for a year, it quickly became noticeable that Ozai couldn’t be found in his typical locations. Even those places he went to be alone, whenever he needed that… For all intents and purposes, the Fire Lord appeared to have disappeared.

This was not entirely true. He had certainly gone somewhere no one would have expected, and as such, he didn’t expect to be found. Not… by anyone other than one woman.

Holding Ursa again caused the pain to ease immediately, soothed like a good ointment soothes a burn. She was there, safe, and still _his_. He held her tight, and she rested her head against his chest, letting him hold her in such a way it seemed he believed she could break.

Ozai didn’t believe this, that she could break, but he certainly believed she might disappear were he to release her. Not that either of them wanted this, of course.

“I’ve missed you.”

Ursa was the first to speak- unsurprising to them each- at this meeting. Even a year later, and that hadn’t changed. She wondered how much change _they_ , as a pair, were capable of. Could they change at all? The once Princess of the Fire Nation doubted it.

A low rumble echoed through Ozai’s chest. He had chuckled, then. “I missed you too, Ursa,” he confessed. “Why else do you think I’ve come all this way?”

It was her turn to give a slight laugh, now, and he smirked at having won the right to hear that sound once more. “Not for no reason, I suppose,” she halfway teased, and he shook his head.

“Certainly not for no reason,” he confirmed. Ozai finally pulled back a bit, and he framed her face in his hands. “I know I did the right thing to send you away. I had to, to save you. But Agni, Ursa… It hurts so much some days. If I didn’t run the risk of opening an investigation with your return, I’d have it ordered immediately.”

She smiled up at him. “I know,” she replied. “But you can’t risk that. The Nation would fall to chaos if what we’d done ever came to light. I can’t ever come home, I’m afraid. I know you’re alone there, now, but you’ll have to learn to live that way. I’m sorry, my love.”

Ozai nodded, but before he could lean down to kiss her the way he so desperately wanted to, she began to fade. His hands grasped at the vapors left in her stead, and felt his chest aching once again, the way he always did when he thought of her too long.

The Fire Lord jolted awake, a gasp as his eyes snapped open. It always felt so real when he had that dream, and the pain always deepened in the morning. Today was different, though, as it really _was_ the anniversary of her disappearance. No, her _banishment_. He couldn’t let himself forget that he was he one who had caused this distance between them.

The dream had begun to plague his sleep as the anniversary grew closer and closer. He hoped that, perhaps, this would cease now that the anniversary would have passed by the next day.

Still, the time for sleep had passed, even as the sun was barely in the sky. Ozai got up and went about dressing himself, as it was too early to call for his servants. Once that was done, he left his chambers, and wandered out to the courtyard at the center of the palace. No one was out just yet, and so as he approached the little turtleduck pond, he found total silence- total silence in which to contemplate her.

What would she do today? Would she think of the life she’d left in the Capital? Would she think of her children, left in his care? Would she wonder about him, and what he would be doing that day? He didn’t know if he hoped so or not. He certainly couldn’t hope that she was in the same position he was, his mind so often turning to her, his chest aching for her.

As soon as he realized his cheeks were wet, Ozai sighed. That never used to happen before.

Meanwhile, in another bed, somewhere else in the Fire Nation, eyes had opened slowly. Ursa had seen Ozai so clearly once again in her dream, standing in front of her, holding her. But she always woke before he could kiss her, and she always woke with wet lashes. Her parents, bless their hearts, could never understand why Ursa would get up and dress so early, then go out and sit alone. But, how could they have known that she was having this dream so repeatedly?

They knew today was different, though, because they knew it was the day she had returned to them. This was the anniversary of Ursa’s banishment. They didn’t know any of the details- Ursa had been unwilling to share them- but they knew she had been devastated. Even now, they felt like they were watching the ghost of her sitting at their table, drinking tea silently. Finally, after some time, Ursa got up, and wandered aimlessly out of the house.

A walk, she thought, would help her. It’s what she had done every night she had this dream. But her normal route wasn’t helping her today, not when it all felt so much closer and more real than it had any other day before. Instead, she wandered out into the forest surrounding her little village, her arms folded into her robes.

The way she carried herself, one could easily mistake her for Ozai’s Fire Lady, the woman who ruled at his side throughout everything. It made her ache to think of how that _could_ have been, if only…

Well, if only nothing. She had known when she went through with the assassination of Fire Lord Azulon that she would have to leave. It had been her decision in the end, even if Ozai had tried to talk her into trying, really, almost _anything_ else. Ursa hadn’t listened, though, too afraid for her son and what could become of him if she didn’t act quickly enough. She considered the pain she endured every day punishment for her crime of treason, but…

Either way, there would have been pain. Unmeasurable, nearly unbearable pain. At least this way, it was an innocent boy, and not a horrific man, who had gotten to live. A small smile formed on her lips. Her sweet Zuko… Oh, she’d do it all again in a heartbeat if it meant he’d live.

A set of approaching footsteps caught her attention, and Ursa’s eyes snapped in the direction of the broken twigs and crunched leaves, that her new company would have just crushed underfoot.

The one who soon stepped out from the trees made her heart stop, and as her eyes lifted to his, her heart began to race in her chest. His as well, if she had to guess.

This time, it wasn’t quite like either dream. Ursa never faded away, never became vapor in Ozai’s hands, and this time, she didn’t wake before his lips found hers. This time… this time, they were truly afforded a small reprieve from the pain they had learned to live with, and the loneliness was chased away.


	6. The Head that Wears the Crown (Day 6- Regal)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 1370
> 
> Description: Ursa postpones leaving the Fire Nation long enough to see her husband crowned Fire Lord.

**The Head that Wears the Crown**

Ursa had meant to be gone by now. She had packed the things that were necessary to take, said quick goodbyes to her children, and left the palace. But then she’d heard that Azulon had been discovered dead, and her husband was to be crowned the next morning. The Princess had put a hood over her head, left her things in the inn she’d stayed in for the night, and snuck into the crowd to see the funeral and coronation. She couldn’t stay away from him easily, and she knew she’d have to get out as soon as she could to keep herself from going back to him, and trying to find any way to get him to let her stay.

However, as fate would have it, she’d managed to get quite close to the front of the crowd- close enough that anyone involved in the funeral and subsequent coronation would have been able to see her. And, at the right angle, they’d have been able to see her face. As it was, there was only one person who could see her, and it was the one person who’d know she shouldn’t be there. Ursa didn’t quite realize Ozai had seen her, didn’t know that his smirk was because he’d seen she was there. But, he had, and he’d made a mental note to speak with her before she could get away once again.

When the coronation ended, Ursa quickly started to make her way back through the crowd, trying to leave the Capital City as quickly as she could. The crowd made it a bit difficult, but she managed to keep her face hidden, and no one recognized her enough to stop her and question why she hadn’t been with her husband, being crowned his Fire Lady. What she didn’t count on, however, was the fact that Ozai had sent out guards to find her, and have her brought back to the palace so they could speak.

She was about halfway to the gates when she was stopped by two guards, and Ursa looked up at them anxiously. They wouldn’t let her pass, even as she tried, and eventually huffed. “Excuse me, I’m trying to get through. I came in to watch the coronation and funeral, but I really need to be getting home, now,” she tried. “Would you please just let me through?”

“The Fire Lord wishes to speak with you,” one of them said, and Ursa pressed her lips into a tight line. So, Ozai knew she was there. The part of her that rather wanted to mess around with this made her lips curl up into a smirk.

“If he wants to speak with me so bad, tell him to send a messenger hawk,” she countered, and tried to get around the two guards. One of them grabbed her arm and brought her back around.

“You have been summoned by the Fire Lord,” the other guard spoke. “This is not optional.” He turned on his heel and started toward the palace, the other guard practically carrying her by her arm. Ursa huffed at that, and gave a roll of her eyes.

“Great,” she mumbled sarcastically.

So, she was officially caught, then. Ozai had seen her, and now was ensuring she wouldn’t escape. It certainly sounded like her husband, wanting to make sure every loose end had been tied up. And the loose end of her presence _had_ been tied up, except she hadn’t left when she was meant to. That meant it was, once again, a loose end. There was no doubt in her mind he’d called her so he could make sure that loose end was tied up.

The guards brought her to a small sitting room, one of many that she recognized, of course, and she sat casually as she waited on Ozai to come. It was also very much like him to come into the room _after_ the person he intended to have a word with had arrived. For most, it made them nervous. For her, it was something she looked at fondly. He had always been very dramatic, and even this power play was something she recognized as part of that.

Finally, after some time, Ozai came in to the room, and he looked down at the seated woman, who had pulled her hood back and was sitting as if she owned the place. Well, he supposed she rather did, in a way.

“Ursa,” he greeted. She smiled, and stood to greet him in return.

“Ozai.”

The Fire Lord hummed at her greeting, and began to step toward her. “I’m sure you can imagine how confused I must be, at the moment,” he told her. “Weren’t you supposed to be on your way out of the city last night?”

Ursa chuckled and nodded a little. “I was,” she confirmed. “But I decided to stay in an inn overnight, since it was so late when I left, and then woke this morning to news of the past Fire Lord’s funeral, and the Fire Prince’s coronation to ascend the throne. How could I possibly miss such a historic event when I was in the city?”

Ozai gave a quiet laugh, and shook his head. “I suppose that would be irresponsible of a Fire Nation citizen, wouldn’t it be?” he allowed.

“Quite irresponsible,” she agreed. The smirk on his face made Ursa smile softly, relaxing a little, as he crossed the rest of the way to her.

Ozai wrapped his arms around Ursa’s waist, and she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck in response. “Why did you come back, Urs’?” he asked her, looking at her sadly. “Do you know how much harder it’s going to be to send you away now?”

“Why do you think I tried to leave before you could talk to me again?” she asked him, his expression mirrored on her face. “I knew it would be harder to leave again if I saw you this way.”

He sighed and pulled her in, holding her closely to him and rubbing her back gently. “I hate to do this,” he mumbled. “I told you to go for your own safety. There’s going to have to be an investigation into what happened to my father, and you can’t get caught…”

“I know,” she sighed. “I’ll be safer anywhere else but here, but _Agni_ , I don’t want to go…”

Ozai rested his chin atop her head, and gave a sigh in response to hers. “I don’t want you to either,” he confessed.

With a small shake of her head, Ursa asked, “Then _why?_ You’re the Fire Lord, aren’t you? Whoever you say is guilty of this is, and whoever you say is innocent is. Why do we have to convict me, no matter what is discovered? And where is your confidence in me, that I won’t be caught? Isn’t there some way we can handle this only if we had to?”

Ozai remained silent for a moment as he considered his wife’s plea, and his eyes slipped shut. There had to be _some_ way for him to swing this. He was the Fire Lord, for Agni’s sake, and she was right. No matter the evidence brought before him about her, all he had to do was say she was with him, give her an alibi, and nothing could be done. Without that, even, he could deem her innocent. After all, the crown sat atop his head now, and with it, all the power to protect his family.

“I’ll think of something,” he finally promised her.

The next morning, Ursa and Ozai felt more grateful than ever to have woken up beside each other once more. Close as they had come to, likely, never seeing each other again… Something as simple as waking up together became something they would treasure for the rest of their lives. He took more time than usual that morning to hold her, and she didn’t begin to tease him about how he needed to get up and get to his duties. Instead, she was silent, as was he, as they took in the morning- the first morning of the rest of their lives as Fire Lord and Fire Lady.


	7. Mad for Thy Love (Day 7- Monster)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 1469
> 
> Description: Ozai and Ursa live a double life, and though Ursa wants this, it's time for her to return to who she is.  
> TW, description of slight body horror

**Mad for Thy Love**

The screams echoing around Ursa made her eyes go wide, and when she turned around, she saw why. That boy who had so often flirted with her, a boy named Ikem, had just been dropped from the rafters, a rope around his neck- no, a noose. He was dead. While those around her were all panicking, wondering who had done this, Ursa knew. And because she knew, she found she was unafraid.

Though she wouldn’t have wanted the poor boy dead- he’d only had feelings for her, and she knew he wasn’t the only one- she found she couldn’t be angry about it. Just… upset. He had been her friend, after all.

Nothing about how she felt about Ikem’s death could change a very hard fact, though, and that fact was that this sort of thing couldn’t happen again. So, as chaos was unleashed in the aftermath of such an event, and as someone searched for her so she could get to safety- after all, no one else could have any idea that _she_ , more than anyone in the building, would be safe- she slipped back to the back stairs.

Ursa walked all the way down those stairs, down into the basement, which very few ever went into. From there, she went back to the bookshelf, lifted a very particular book, and pressed down on the shelf beneath it. Something clicked, and she reached around the side of the bookshelf after returning the book to its place, and she pressed a small button. It, too, clicked, and the bookshelf opened to her. She stepped through, and made sure to close it quickly behind herself.

As soon as she was there, she took in a deep breath, and let it out. Somehow, as awful as what had just happened was, just being in this familiar corridor brought her peace. She continued to walk down the dark hall, knowing that the culprit of the murder would beat her to their shared destination. Her feet carried her there easily, having well memorized the path by now.

Sure enough, when the corridor widened into a larger room, almost more like a cavern than anything, Ursa could see that her preferred company was already down there, now sitting and reading the paper, drinking a cup of tea, as if he _hadn’t_ just murdered a man simply for flirting with the woman he called _his_.

Ozai looked up as he heard the distinct pattern of Ursa’s stepping into the room. He smiled, and stood to greet her. His paper was folded methodically, meticulously, and he put it on the table before he went to her. “How was your day, my love?” he asked her, his voice smooth.

Ursa chuckled softly, and let him wrap his arms around her, his hands resting on her back- hands that had just tied a noose, and hung a man in it. Her childhood friend. Why didn’t she care as much as she should?

“It was eventful, at the least,” she quipped. “And yours?”

“Pretty boring, if I’m honest.”

The pair laughed lightly together, and Ursa gave a small shake of her head. “Honestly, Ozai, I came down here to talk to you about what you did today,” she told him.

Ozai released her from his grasp as he moved to pick up his teacup once again. “Yes, you’re welcome,” he said. “I know he had been getting on your nerves, flirting with you after you’d told him you were in a relationship, so…”

“This needs to stop.”

Ozai was clearly stunned as he looked at Ursa. He blinked a couple times, and sat the teacup down. “Needs to stop?” he finally repeated. “I thought you didn’t feel that way about all this. We agreed that I could protect you.”

“Yes, when I need protection,” Ursa agreed. “But I didn’t need protection from him. We grew up together. He knows I’m in a relationship. There’s no way he expected things to actually become romantic between us. That’s different from one of the workers here _actively mugging me_ , don’t you see that?”

When Ozai didn’t answer her, Ursa frowned deeply. It took him a moment, but he finally said, “You never know when things like that could go bad. I was taking action before it could.”

Ursa sighed, shaking her head. “In a situation like that… would you check with me, next time? Please?” He smiled softly and nodded, and she immediately went and wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’re crazy. You know that, don’t you?” she questioned, and a low chuckle rumbled through his chest.

“Crazy for you, Ursa.”

**…**

It was a few weeks later when one of the managers caught Ursa off-guard, and started to flirt with her in such a way she quickly became uncomfortable. She tried to get away from him, and it took her a moment, but she was eventually able to break away.

As soon as she had, she made a run for the basement, and even more the corridor that would lead her to her lover’s safety. The minute she was there, she ran to Ozai, and let him catch her. “What’s wrong, Ursa? Did something happen?” The young woman shook her head, and clung to him. Clearly, something had, but he realized she didn’t want to talk about it. That was alright, though. He knew how to find out.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for either of them to learn he wouldn’t have to. That same manager began to watch the basement, and to watch all the facilities in the building. He learned that Ursa often snuck away there, as did a mysterious man- or was he a man? Was he a being? An entity? Something else?- who he could imagine was _not_ meant to be there.

One day, as Ursa came from the basement, the manager cornered her once more, and she froze, looking up at him anxiously. Ozai was bound to hear. For the sake of this manager’s life, she figured she should get him away.

"Nonsense,” he had said. “Besides, I know why you go down there.” Ursa’s gaze had immediately shifted from concerned, to _hard_. “Your lover meets you there, doesn’t he? Who is he anyway? I know he’s not meant to be here.”

Ursa’s eyes narrowed harshly, her jaw set. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snarled. “Shut your mouth, before it gets you into trouble.” When she tried to push past him, he caught her arm.

“I’d shut yours, if I were you,” he threatened. Ursa’s eyes closed as he said the last piece. “That lover of yours might be at risk if you refuse.”

That was all it took, and she snapped, whipping around and knocking him to the ground, climbing up on top of him. The man looked up at her with wide eyes, his heart pounding as she wrapped her arms around his throat. She had never chosen to present in any way _other_ than something human, and as such, watching her eyes go from a warm brown, flickering into a sharp gold, sent a shock of fear down his spine. Her thumbs pressed right into the perfect places to speed the process of asphyxiation, and the door opened.

“Ursa!”

Ozai had come out to see what the _thud!_ he’d heard was, and at the sight of them, he quickly put it together. The sound had been Ursa knocking the man over. She was silent, and cold, and when he saw the way her eyes had changed, he allowed his to turn from their masked deep brown into the gold they were naturally. For all Ursa had begged him to try and live a normal, _human_ -like life, on the Earth, he had to admit it felt good to see her returning to her roots. After this, she would remember. She’d know why she wasn’t so bothered by Ikem’s death.

He had never been her childhood friend. She had never been a child in the first place.

When the man died under Ursa’s hands, Ozai smirked, and brushed her hair back. She turned to look up at him, two pairs of gold eyes meeting, and she grinned. The sharpened teeth in her mouth filled him with pride. “Go ahead,” he said. “You’ve earned this one. Eat. It’s been too long.” He moved to guard the hall, his eyes and teeth returning to something human, and he watched to be sure his wife wouldn’t be disturbed from returning to herself.

Ursa came to him when she was finished, her eyes brown, teeth human once more, and he hugged her close to him. He didn’t ask what had set her off, made her forsake living as something she wasn’t, but he didn’t have to. She explained.

“I suppose I’m crazy for you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm afraid we've reached the end! Final chapter came a little late, but I wasn't about to leave this week unfinished. That said, I am sad to see it come to a close, as I really enjoyed writing for these two. I look forward to writing more for them in the future, though for now, I'm going to focus on some projects I've already got going (namely, my fic Prodigal Son). Thank you all so much for hanging with me this past week, and celebrating these two who were done so... so wrong by the comics XD Until the next one!
> 
> All my love,  
> ineffablebureaucracy


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